Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’

Is A Lack Of Protein Absorption Destroying Your Progress?

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Protein has become quite the controversial macronutrient. And knowing how to optimize your intake is critical for maximum health and fitness.

The issue here is that most people do not know how to manage their protein intake effectively.

So here is how to optimize your protein intake:

1. Focus on roughage: Having lots of roughage each time you eat protein is a great way to slow down digestion. And slower digestion will translate into more protein going to your active tissues. You see, if protein digests too quickly your body can’t absorb all of it.

2. Make sure at least half of your protein intake is from complete sources: This is mostly an issue for vegetarians as animal sources of protein are always complete. Now complete sources of protein are the ones that have all amino acids.

3. Don’t have too much: The biggest mistake novices make is having too much protein. The problem here is that too much protein will decrease performance. Even worse, too much protein and too little carbs will put you at higher risk for muscle loss.

4. Don’t leave out other macronutrients: Although this may sound basic, having balanced meals is really the best way to enhance protein absorption in your body. You see, each macronutrient slows down digestion in its own unique way.

5. Eat every couple of hours: This is perhaps the most important element here. You see, the human body does not have a good way of storing extra protein. So if you let more than 3 hours go by between meals, you begin to burn through muscle protein.

6. Have supplemental protein immediately after exercise: This is a nifty little trick to get even more protein to where it needs to go. You see, immediately after exercise your body is in a special state by which it can absorb a higher than normal amount of protein.

Getting your body to absorb more protein is a great way to increase your results. And better results will translate into more motivation!

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Dry Sauna Benefits Are Good

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

The regular use of a dry sauna has several effects on the body, and for healthy people, dry sauna benefits far outweigh disadvantages. During your use of a dry sauna, your skin temperature raises to around 104 degrees Fahrenheit within a few minutes. Most people will create a pint to a quart of sweat in the sauna.

Using the sauna causes a person’s pulse rate to increase by at least 30%, and this results in the heart to nearly double the amount of blood it pumps every minute. A lot of this increased blood circulation is transported to the skin to aid the body’s cooling system. The elevated circulation to the skin actually averts some blood flow away from other internal organs. In some people blood pressure increases during sauna use, and in others it decreases.

People with a heart condition, high blood pressure, or who are pregnant should consult a physician before using a sauna, but for otherwise people in good health dry sauna benefits can be felt almost immediately. While Finns alternate sauna use with cold water, can be somewhat of an acquired taste, though many people say that it increases feelings of relaxation and well-being.

Plain old sweating is one of the best dry sauna benefits. Perspiring helps the body excrete unwanted and poisonous materials, and it improves blood flow to the skin. Since medieval days, healers have used saunas as curative measures, and often priests used them as a way to chase off evil spirits. Currently we think of saunas as a way to enhance mental clarity and encourage relaxation and meditation, but that may just be the 21st century version of warding off those evil spirits!

Dry sauna benefits are due to the dry heat that can reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Some varieties of dry saunas have hot rocks so that sauna users can splash water in order to spend time in the steam, which can feel superb to the respiratory passages. Whether or not your sauna uses steam or not, it is generally the surface temperature of the body that rises. Blood vessels dilate, and blood flow to the skin improves. The heart rate increases to keep blood pressure within normal limits.

The main chance taken when using a dry sauna is remaining in too long and getting heat exhaustion. The people who are in danger of this are those who have been taking drugs and alcohol, so it is critically recommended that sauna users refrain from drug and alcohol use preceding using a sauna. It is also important that sauna users drink plenty of water to replace the fluids lost during sweating and to secure that they receive the most dry sauna benefits.

Dry sauna benefits include heightened feelings of relaxation and well-being, including improved skin condition, and in some people recovery of cold symptoms and relief from chronic pain. Dry saunas are an excellent way to de-stress and bring about a feeling of tranquility. Those who limit alcohol and drug use before using a sauna, who drink plenty of fluids to replace lost fluids, and that use the sauna within the recommended time limits will experience the many dry sauna benefits and happily incorporate enjoyment of a dry sauna into their lifestyle.

Also make sure to check out these important links: sauna kits and infrared sauna benefit.

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Hoodia Gordonii Discovered

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

The southern African countries of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola are the abode of Hoodia gordonii. The San Bushmen who inhabits the Kalahari Desert had through generations transmitted their knowledge of the various uses of Hoodia. Of these uses, its use as an appetite suppressant was known to the outside world for some time. The San people used it to suppress their hunger during hunting expeditions that lasted a few days. The Hoodia extract was subject to scientific investigation by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) who patented the extract as P57 in 1997. CSIR sold the exclusive right to its use to Phytopharm, a British pharmaceutical company. Phytopharm granted the license to production to Pfizer. But Hoodia became a craze as a weight loss product much later when BBC reported on its use in 2003 and 60 Minutes in the next year.

Hoodia became a favorite weight loss product in the global market. But the fact that this knowledge was owned by San Bushmen was simply not remembered or acknowledged. The media then raked up this issue accusing Phytopharm of biopiracy. Confronted with this, Phytopharm lamely defended itself saying that the San people no longer existed when tens of thousands of them actually inhabited the southern African countries covering the Kalahari Desert. CSIR then admitted in 2003 that the San people were the source of this knowledge and that a portion of the royalty would indeed be shared with them. It is estimated that 0.003 percent of the retail sales were to be their share. This was a pittance though the point was well taken. Meanwhile, Pfizer returned Phytopharm the production rights who later transferred the rights to Unilever. Unilever were into production of diet foods such as Slim Fast. The company announced its intention to produce functional foods with Hoodia as the main ingredient.

Meanwhile Hoodia began to be marketed widely by a number of companies who claimed that their product contained Hoodia. These are available in a variety of forms as liquid, shakes, powder, capsules and pills such as Dex-L10 Hoodia, Hoodia Pure, Hoodia Extract, HoodiThin Liquid, Tru Hoodia Diet, H57 Hoodia, Hoodia SlimQuick, Hoodia Gordonii Shake Mix, Hoodia Shake, Hoodia Supreme, Hoodoba, and Desert Burn. Hoodia, in most cases, are combined with a few other useful items. Some Hoodia products are marketed for specific sections of consumers for instance Slimquick Hoodia diet which combines calcium, Vitamin D3 and Green Tea for women.

In the meanwhile Phytopharm acquired two more patents for the treatment of gastric disorders. More patent applications have been subsequently filed. There are other potential uses of the Hoodia such as sexual dysfunction, and the operation of glands such as the sweat, saliva and prostrate glands.

Health is very important. So, everybody should take care of their health.

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Weight Loss Guide For The Obese

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

The consumption of processed food and the increasing dependence on processed food has changed lifestyles. It has also contributed significantly to obesity. The food industry is powerful enough to determine what food is produced, how it is produced and processed. The industry also influences what are consumed and how it is consumed. It influences the whole agricultural sector including government policies. Concerns for health are hardly a priority in this profit driven industry. There is more profit in selling processed food than fresh food. The shelf-life of processed food is also more. The consumer has to choose between short shelf-life costlier nutritionally richer fresh food and the longer shelf-life cheaper nutritionally poorer processed food. Processed food is also easier to purchase, store, and prepare. It also makes life easy for the harried and rushed for time urbanite.

The food industry influences what the consumer likes and buys. The consumer really has not much of a choice except to choose from what the industry provides. This is invariably the situation in most cities and towns. The main focus of food processing is how to make sure that the food has a longer shelf life. This is carried out through the use of various technologies as cooling, drying, pasteurization, separation of various components, autoclaving and salting. Cooling is the most often used method to keep the food fresh. The fresh food is processed, packed and made available through your neighborhood store. Food processing no doubt also keeps the bacteria away making it safer from infection. But there are other problems with processing.

Nutrition is provided by the food we take. Nutrition reduces when food is processed. This is why processed food is enriched with additional minerals and vitamins. When food is processed, there is also the danger of it having harmful acids and fats. Consumption of beverage too has increased. These are rich in sugar and carbohydrate. Fast food along with beverages provides the right recipe for accumulation of fat. No wonder the market for weight loss products and programs is flourishing. There are a number of books and guides in the market which informs you about the problems of obesity and how to manage them such as HCG weight loss, Low GI Diet and Lose Your Belly Fat.

To begin with you may choose a weight loss program that suits you. Seeking professional advice could be a good idea before you make the choice. Along with this, better nutrition and modification in your lifestyle could go a long way in maintaining better health.

There are a lot of weight loss guides and programs available in the market. But the most important of all, is your determination.

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More on the Topic of Health and Weight Loss

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Thanks,

Love Weight Loss

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6 Strategies For Enhancing Your Consumption Of Fat

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Dietary fat isn’t the most straightforward macronutrient. You see, if you have too much you easily gain weight, and if you have too little your body will not heal itself properly.

Unfortunately, many people do not know how to optimize their dietary fat intake for the best fitness results.

Thus, here are 6 strategies for enhancing your consumption of fat:

1. Stay away from animal saturated fat: Animal saturated fat has been shown by countless studies to increase bad lipids in blood. However, plant saturated fat is structurally different from animal saturated fat and is much healthier.

2. Be careful with fish oil pills: Unfortunately, there are some experts that recommend taking up to 30 grams of fish oil pills. Now this is absurd because such high levels of intake can really damage your heart over the long run.

3. Balance your fat sources: You want to eat fat from all the different sources. Don’t focus on just one type of fat. Just make sure you aren’t getting too much omega-6 fat. This is the mistake most people make in their diet.

4. Watch out for calorie control: You see, since fat has so many calories relative to the amount of space it occupies, it’s very easy to overdo caloric intake here. So make sure you be really careful with serving sizes here.

5. Stay away from anything that is partially hydrogenated: Doing this can literally save you from a heart attack. You see, partially hydrogenated fats actually change your cells at the structural level. And this is not good for your health.

6. Make sure at least one third of your caloric intake comes from fat: Doing this is a great way to keep your health at a maximum. Not only will you recover faster, but you will also burn more body fat. So never skimp on your fat intake.

Fat is a critical macronutrient for optimal health. If you take it out of your diet, there will be some nasty consequences!

Author Katherine Crawford, an exercise physiologist and recent arm fat sufferer, teaches how to get skinny arms. Unearth how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her blog with shake weight reviews right now!

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